Masons should be familiar with the title of this topic. Those that are - or claim to be - Masons and are members of these Mastermason.com forums are invited to reflect on the following.

The administrators and moderators have noticed an increase lately in the amount of poorly typed posts. Though it is fully understood that typos plague us all and not everyone is equally grounded in the use of the written word, it is respectfully requested that an honest attempt be made to produce quality posts. Grammar, capitalization, spelling, and punctuation all play parts in this. Making mistakes in any of these areas can easily lead to difficulty for the reader and a likelihood that what you typed may be misinterpreted. The style of typing commonly known as "texting" is especially difficult on many readers and should be avoided. Slang, though sometimes useful, should also be carefully considered before being used.

It all boils down to courtesy and pride. Be courteous to your readers by typing properly written pieces - to the best of your ability - that are more easily understood and less likely to be misinterpreted. Have pride in your written word. Since we are unable to sit down face to face and have a conversation, all of us are forced to judge each other based largely on the words and sentences typed into these forums.

Please have a nice day and we will now return to regular programming - already in progress.

The written word is still the primary means of communication via the internet. Proper spelling, grammar, and sentence structure are key to effective communication. As P-Bug stated, we all make mistakes and that is forgivable. To willingly persist in poor communication will get yourself ignored in a hurry.

Thank you administrators! These new phonetic abbreviations, eg m8 for mate, may save time for the sender, but not for recipients like me who have to sit there and translate. Sometimes I just give up, and the message hasn't got through which, I'm sure, wasn't the intent of the sender.

Remember, the responsibility for ensuring that a message gets through to the mind of the recipient sits entirely with the sender.

One of the automotive forums I am a member of has had a similar problem. As such, they have implemented a number of rules for the forum, that all members are REQUIRED to accept before they can post. I have copied these rules below - keep in mind some of the rules are auto-related, but some of these may be applied to just about any forum.

Might be worth amending the mastermason.com forum "rules of etiquette"

General Rules

HybridZ Forum Rules - READ NOW BEFORE POSTING!

1. The purpose of this site is to discuss TECHNICAL topics that pertain to the modification of the Datsun/Nissan Z cars (240Z, 260Z, 280Z, 300ZX, 350Z). No thoughtful modification that enhances performance or styling will be put down. The philosophy is one of "parts is parts" - it doesn't matter what automaker originally made the parts, if you think that using those parts on your Z will add to it's performance or cosmetic appeal. But the emphasis is on FUNCTION, not the addition of graphics, wings, etc. to only make the Z LOOK like it is a high performance car. However, everyone has their own ideas of what stylish modifications look good or bad.

2.Please use the search function before you do anything else. The search button can be found at the top of the page. Use several keywords if you don't find what you need right off the bat. Remember: Just about every possible topic and problem has been posted and answered, in most cases several times. The Members on this board are very helpful and a great crowd of Z enthusiasts, but answering the same questions over and over again gets old.

3.Please make a good effort to post a topic "subject" title that is pertinent and descriptive of the subject that you want to convey. When you post a thread with a title like “I need help” this makes it harder for the next guy to find what he is looking for when they try to search the database. It is impossible to know what that thread is about so it must either be skipped over or opened to check the content. The title of your post is not the place to be VAGUE!!!

4.There is no Best! No best tires. No best engine. No best shock. No best big chrome foot gas pedal. Every car builder and driver is in a different situation. What's good for one might suck for another. The decision on what is "best" for you and your car is completely up to you. As with any decision time, effort, and research is needed by the decision maker - you! Instead of asking what is "best", do some research, explain your situation in excruciating detail, and describe what alternatives you're considering in your decision. Posting a thread with "What's the best..." in the title it is a sure way to get that post tossed into the Tool Shed.

5. This site is based in the USA, and as such, text is to be written in English. There are web sites available on the web that can translate text from many recognized official languages to English, if you don't know it. (But then how could you read this? ) Gangster-slang, or any other cute, obtuse, street-talk dialects are not tolerated. Write in clear English that does not require a current knowledge of the latest street-slang. Text message or IM shorthand does not qualify as English. Always try to use proper punctuation, spelling AND capitalization.

6. If you have any real information to add to a post, or another related question about the same topic, please post. Please be sure to read the ENTIRE thread before you post so that you will understand the topic and direction the thread is heading. Otherwise, don't post if you are just guessing, or just wanting to interject an unsolicited opinion and/or sounding like you have the definitive answer. Most folks like to get solid advice, and opinions on what ‘may’ be the correct direction are usually not helpful or wanted. Sometimes opinions will be requested, but these posts are easily recognized. This includes non constructive posts in an effort to increase your post count!

7. Remember, this is a Hybrid site. Do not ever get on the purist Datsun/Nissan soapbox or promote Datsun/Nissan only swaps. The Admins/moderators will not tolerate this. The mere mention of keeping your Z "all Datsun" will be frowned upon. Several other sites exist for this mindset.

8. While we are on the subject, we want you to stay off of your religious or political soapboxes as well. Religious or political topics should be avoided. Any posts that stray into the realm of politics and religion will be closed and/or deleted. This is a car website, so let’s keep it focused on cars.

9. Please post questions, comments, etc under the correct forum topic heading, and only post in one forum. For example, if you have a Chevy V8Z and have a question/comment on suspension setup, or drive train setup, etc, don't post it in the Chevy V8 section. Also, read the guidelines in the For Sale section.

10. Links to ebay auctions will be permitted in the Non-Tech forum only. This is not technical information, so it should not be posted in a technical forum. All other selling should be done through the classified forum, see rules that apply to the classifieds below.

11. If you are planning a V8 swap into a Z (esp. SBC), please order the swap manual from http://www.jagsthatrun.com/ . Although this manual is specific to the early Z, it would be helpful to any swap.

12.Don't make personal attacks if someone disagrees with you, and don't take advice given personally. Typed text has no intonation, or expression and the members on this board sometimes come off as being rude, or impolite. Generally this is not the case, so please be a little thick skinned when advice is given that you may not agree with.

13. Admins have been tasked with correcting mistakes and telling people to stop unwanted behavior. This can offend some people who do not take correction well. Do not make personal attacks on the administrators. Feel free to disagree with the admin staff on technical issues regarding the Z, but when the attacks become personal the immediate and permanent response will be banning the user.

14. If you frequently log in just read what's going on in HybridZ land, you may find the function "view posts since last visit" is generally the best bet. It will save you time instead of opening each forum individually.

15.Keep signature pics below 500 pixels wide and 100 tall please!

16. If you are still unsure as to the functions of the site, feel free to Private Message "PM" a moderator or Admin. You will find a link to send a Private message by finding one of their posts and clicking on their name.

Enjoy your time on HybridZ.org. To many of us it's like a second home, and we try to keep it "tidy". Just think of you behavior on this site as if you were visiting someone else’s house.....good manners are always appreciated.

Interesting topic. I saw a report on TV, stating that handwriting, especially cursive/script will disappear in a generation. Myself, I cherish the written word, notwithstanding the fact, that my one handwriting is atrocious (my wife calls my handwriting "feet-writing").

I have no problem with text shorthand, in moderation. (I'm L8 for a meeting. C U 2morrow), in a text message. I am appalled to see this communication creeping into emails and memoranda.

Languages are one of my hobbies. (I speak Russian at home with my wife). English is one of the most difficult languages, to spell. In written documents, prior to the late 18th century, you would often see the same word spelled differently, on the same page! Noah Webster, was one of the first to push for standardized spelling of English. Sadly, young people today are losing the ability to spell English words properly.

Interesting topic. I saw a report on TV, stating that handwriting, especially cursive/script will disappear in a generation.

Languages are one of my hobbies. (I speak Russian at home with my wife).

Cursive writing was one of those things that we were taught in fourth or fifth grade and then never used it again, unless signing our names. If they didn't stress writing in cursive after that, then I never understood why it was even taught in the first place.

And I'm fairly jealous about your ability to speak Russian. I've always wanted to learn it, but it has never been offered as a class [high school or university]

The Air Force taught me Russian. I later married a Russian. I am not fluent, but I can get by. One benefit of having a Russian wife, is that she can give me a cussing in her language, I don't understand all the words. She feels better, and I am not offended!

If you wish to learn Russian, Try Rosetta Stone. I belong to a Russian Study group, I connected with on Meetup.com . When I am home, we meet at a coffee shop, and practice Russian. I also converse with Russians on ham radio sometimes.

The Air Force taught me Russian. I later married a Russian. I am not fluent, but I can get by. One benefit of having a Russian wife, is that she can give me a cussing in her language, I don't understand all the words. She feels better, and I am not offended!

If you wish to learn Russian, Try Rosetta Stone. I belong to a Russian Study group, I connected with on Meetup.com . When I am home, we meet at a coffee shop, and practice Russian. I also converse with Russians on ham radio sometimes.

Hey, sometimes that's all it takes. Enough to get by to save your life - literally.

What would I be looking at cost wise? And is it very effective? I'm what you could call "stubborn" with foreign languages, my mother always said I was thick headed...

I was taught French and German at school. What is amazing is how the language comes back to you after years and years when you are put in the situation of having to speak it. I had to work for a short while near Dusseldorf in NW Germany. My colleagues all laughed at my German because they said I sounded like a very formal Berliner. I got the last laugh - we had to go to Graz in Austria to meet with some other German speakers. The Dusseldorfers and the Austrians couldn't understand each other because their dialects were so strong. But I could understand both sides and finished up trying to translate. In the end we settled on English.

Check out http://www.rosettastone.com/learn-russian . I have never used their program, but they have a good reputation. You should also look on meetup and see if there is a Russian study group or club in your town.

Check out http://www.rosettastone.com/learn-russian . I have never used their program, but they have a good reputation. You should also look on meetup and see if there is a Russian study group or club in your town.

Agreed. Once, my nephew sent me a text in what looked like ebonics. I had to sit down and talk with Him, lol. I tend to capitalize certain words that mean more to me individually, like Family and Brother, You and Ours, which tends to rub some People the wrong way. I do not mean anything by it, it is just a habit. I am very altruistic in context to others.

i have been aspiring to speak with brevity, condensing sentences down to maximize benefit of resonance in shared communication, kind of like an everything said in 5 or less words kind of thing.

Well put. You know shows me yet another reason I love the Craft. On the outside, someone may have been offended by this, but when you put a bunch of brothers together and one of us is trying to keep things square, everyone agrees. And I agree, it may take a little longer to type it out, however, most of these posts are accessed by google and there are already millions out there that HATE Mason's for no reason at all, why give them something else to look down on.

I'm a moderator on another Masonic site and I recently had someone post on the forum in a block of text that had absolutley no punctuation, and the first letter of every word was capitalized.

I had no choice but to call him out on it, as he said he believed himself to be a wise man and also cited Mark Twain as one of his most admired authors. We pulled out the grammar and rhetoric argument and I asked him if the thought Samuel Clemens would be entertained by his writing style.

First, I must apologize in advance as I am a member of a motorcycle forum where we use slang and text type writing in our posts. I will do the best I can in responding to keep that out of here. Here's what really disturbs me. I am a Staff Sergeant in the Army and am a platoon sergeant. I have both squad and team leaders who work for me that are all graduates of high school and some even college, who can't write the simplest things in a formal manner. Something as simple as a monthly review of a Soldier, is spelled incorrectly, grammatically incorrect, and almost impossible to read and/or follow. What is going on with our education system today? I think it's pretty bad when I, a product of the Kentucky education system, have to correct almost all of the writing that the leaders in my unit produce. In my eyes, that is pretty rediculous and dissapoints me greatly. I admit I am not the best writer in the world, but I do take pride in what I do and try to work with them to improve their writing skills, but I figure if a stupid redneck can do it, why can't they?

First, I must apologize in advance as I am a member of a motorcycle forum where we use slang and text type writing in our posts. I will do the best I can in responding to keep that out of here. Here's what really disturbs me. I am a Staff Sergeant in the Army and am a platoon sergeant. I have both squad and team leaders who work for me that are all graduates of high school and some even college, who can't write the simplest things in a formal manner. Something as simple as a monthly review of a Soldier, is spelled incorrectly, grammatically incorrect, and almost impossible to read and/or follow. What is going on with our education system today?

The same thing that is going on with far to many Lodges. All that is required it showing up and doing the bare minimum to warrant progression.

These types of rules and their enforcement give us exactly what we have. Instead of plenty and abundance, we have scarcity and are left wanting.

sapperguy wrote:

I think it's pretty bad when I, a product of the Kentucky education system, have to correct almost all of the writing that the leaders in my unit produce. In my eyes, that is pretty rediculous and dissapoints me greatly. I admit I am not the best writer in the world, but I do take pride in what I do and try to work with them to improve their writing skills, but I figure if a stupid redneck can do it, why can't they?

Because they currently have nothing stopping them due to their lacking.

correct, it mirrors the APA (American Psychological Association) a bit so i believe its a good tool to used when writing anything that can be viewed by the public if it is supposed to present a positive view.

AR 25-50 is not meant to be a quick read. It's purpose is to be a reference guide for the preparation of various Army correspondence and documents. But, one can certainly read it in its entirety if you want to do so.

Its definitely a good tool when you have to write business letters and memo's for your College English Class while deployed.....I was able to keep the books back at home in the states last deployment because of it.

Masons should be familiar with the title of this topic. Those that are - or claim to be - Masons and are members of these Mastermason.com forums are invited to reflect on the following.

The administrators and moderators have noticed an increase lately in the amount of poorly typed posts. Though it is fully understood that typos plague us all and not everyone is equally grounded in the use of the written word, it is respectfully requested that an honest attempt be made to produce quality posts. Grammar, capitalization, spelling, and punctuation all play parts in this. Making mistakes in any of these areas can easily lead to difficulty for the reader and a likelihood that what you typed may be misinterpreted. The style of typing commonly known as "texting" is especially difficult on many readers and should be avoided. Slang, though sometimes useful, should also be carefully considered before being used.

It all boils down to courtesy and pride. Be courteous to your readers by typing properly written pieces - to the best of your ability - that are more easily understood and less likely to be misinterpreted. Have pride in your written word. Since we are unable to sit down face to face and have a conversation, all of us are forced to judge each other based largely on the words and sentences typed into these forums.

Please have a nice day and we will now return to regular programming - already in progress.

Text style lingo is alright on some message boards; but not needed here.

Spelling, I think, is very important in all prose. Nothing is worse than seeing a grown man who does not know when to use the words there/their appropriately; or does not know how to use the word you're at all. Nothing is worse though, than people who spell no when they want to say know.

Thank you for keeping this board up to intelligent standards.

...when the guns are the fenceposts; the cars are the doghouse; and the telephone no longer rings.

Several have commented on the poor, and continually decreasing, ability of recent high school graduates to communicate effectively, especially using the written language. In the long run we only have ourselves to blame. We have embraced modern, forward looking programs such as No Child Left Behind, mainstreaming, and a host of others. This has been at the expense of "old, worn out, antiquated" programs that effectively taught the fundamentals of phonetics, grammer and basic effective communication skills.

I am NOT opposed to modern techniques and technology, when it is an improvement! However, change for the sake of change all too often is a step in the wrong direction.

Sorry, I will step off my soapbox now. I realize I have quite probably offended a number of readers, and for that, I apologize. However, I will not apologize for my opinion, it is my own. You do not have to agree with me. As Brothers, we should be able to voice our own opinions, and listen with respect to those agreeing, and disagreeing, with us.

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